QUALITY BORN OF TRADITION

Imperial Palace : The Imperial Palace was very beautiful. The combination of the moat and the gates and trees made for some lovely photos. The stories of the Imperial Palace about why it is open to the public and the naming of the gates were very interesting. I enjoyed seeing the traditional building style of the imperial palace gates against the modern buildings of Tokyo.

Lunch at Kakurebo Minami Aoyama : This was a lovely restaurant with a modern and upmarket ambience. I liked the booth in which we sat. The meal was fantastic–particularly tasty were the sashimi and the crab croquette.

Saideigama Pottery : The pottery class at Saideigama was a wonderful mix of traditional and stylish and modern, which was more than I imagined. I had never heard of ‘kintsugi’ so far and thought the concept that pottery has a second chance to be reborn was wonderful. I found that the process of making this art requires concentration. The teacher was very clear in his directions and very helpful.

Houseboat : The boat was very attractive with red lanterns against the night sky. The atmosphere was very fun and joyful. The food was extremely tasty. I most enjoyed the tempura prawns and the sashimi. The boat trip provided an excellent opportunity to take photos of the Tokyo Tower and Skytree at night.

Shinkansen (Tokyo→Kanazawa) : I was much surprised that the train was so spacious. There was a lot of space in the aisle as well as legroom, which created more comfort. The seat was very comfortable too and I could move it back to relax. I had a window seat and was able to enjoy Mt Fuji and the beautiful Japanese countryside. In addition, there was a very convenient storage space for large luggage.

Lunch at Buemon : What a beautiful restaurant! I loved the pleasant, traditional wooden building as well as the tranquil garden in the back area. The restaurant’s famous soba noodles were very delicious! I very much enjoyed my hot soba noodles with tempura. The service was very efficient and very quick.

Gold leaf workshop at Sakuda : It was extremely interesting to learn about the process of making gold leaf. I very much enjoyed anticipating and having a chance making a craft piece. It was great fun to practice the application of gold leaf to a lacquer box. Through this experience, I actually appreciated how much skill is required in the delicate process, and learned its wonderful value.

Kenroku-en Garden : Kenroku-en Gardens were definitely one of the highpoints of the trip! As soon as you visit here, you will see why these are known as one of the most beautiful gardens in Japan. In particular, the Karasakinomatsu Pine tree set up with yukizuri were splendid. The trees were extremely photogenic–particularly with the foreground of Kasumigaike Pond.

Dinner at COIL : COIL is a wonderfully innovative concept which involves guests in the creation of their meals. I thought the soup, which was instantly created by adding boiling water to stuffed monaka (light wafer biscuit), was very good idea. It was very much enjoyable to choose my own sushi fillings and roll my own sushi rolls! I was able to order extra items such as mayonnaise, and was very much satisfied to experience a personalised sushi creation!

Kimono wearing experience : Dressing up in a kimono and visiting the sights of Kanazawa was one of the unforgettable memories of my visit to Ishikawa. I had no idea there were so many clothes to wear under a kimono–or the amount of time that was required. Choosing the elements of the kimono and my hair style and accessories was so much fun. The ladies who worked at the kimono rental store were extremely friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend the kimono wearing experience to other travellers.

D.T. Suzuki Museum : I very much enjoyed the level of thought which appears to have gone into every detail of the museum - from not using captions on the displays to dividing the museum into the three spaces. I liked very much the extremely peaceful water mirror garden and contemplative space. It was so comfortable that I would like to spend all afternoon here.

Lunch at Hacchoya : Both the exterior and the interior of this restaurant were beautiful. You can enjoy Kanazawa local food here. Because the size of each dish was not so large, I was able to try many local flavourful specialties. My favourite was the beef stew dish from the Kanazawa area.

JR Thunderbird : The JR West Thunderbird was another fantastic train experience in Japan. This very modern train was super comfortable with a high roof. The train left on time and delivered us into Kaga Onsen Station right on time. I think Japanese trains are much superior to those in the rest of the world!

Walking tour of Kakusenkei Gorge : Due to bad weather we were only able to explore the Gorge in the late afternoon light. Even under such situation, I was able to find that this is a very beautiful place–particularly with the autumn leaves. Koorogi bridge is extremely picturesque place.

Dinner at accommodation : Wow! I have never seen such colourful food before and it was so beautifully presented in the front of me! The seafood courses were awesome– particularly the crab. It was a lovely experience to be part of the cooking procedures by putting live foodstuff that came out raw on the burner. The service was very fast and courteous.

I had never before stayed in a Japanese ryokan and I was very much looking forward to this part of the visit. It was much better than I imagined! The beautifully decorated room I stayed in was wonderful. I liked much the outdoor bath and enjoyed it twice, in the evening and in the morning! The ryokan was very peaceful and so beautifully yet simply designed.

Lunch at Enuma Station : I loved this restaurant! Its décor was a mix of a small French tavern done in a stylish Japanese manner. The food was as very beautiful as it was tasty. The service was excellent and I thought that the menu of the day from which we ordered represented excellent value.

Nadatera Temple : I was blown away by this beautiful temple and its amazing garden! I felt so lucky to visit such a lovely place at the time when you can enjoy the colourful autumn leaves very much. I was able to take some more stunning photos from the view point. We had an excellent time!

Sake tasting at Noguchi Naohiko Sake Institute : I had almost no experience with sake. However, I learnt so much at Noguchi Naohiko Sake institute about the different types of sake available and the different serving temperatures. I very much enjoyed the pairing of sakes with both savoury and sweet foods. It was a huge honour to meet the acclaimed sake master Mr Noguchi personally.

JAL domestic flight : This was a very comfortable plane with nice leather seats! The plane left and arrived on time. I found the staff to be very friendly. I appreciated the night lighting on the plane which made it easy to nap presently! If you are a foreigner who lives overseas, you can use JAL Explore Pass (JEP), which offers JAL domestic discount airfare cheaper than usual. When a foreigner uses a domestic flight in Japan, these fares must be checked!

I loved the mix of the traditional and the modern in Tokyo. It was wonderful to see the Imperial Palace–a tradition which is still very much alive today–as well as learning about and practicing the still current craft of kintsugi. The food was absolutely outstanding and just what I was hoping for on my visit to Tokyo! Other than that, this tour was a wonderful mix of activities which allowed me to immerse myself in both traditional and modern Japan. I was able to appreciate the most beautiful arts and crafts of Japan, such as Katuni ware, kintsugi, and gold leaf as well as being able to learn these techniques for myself. I very much enjoyed seeing how Japanese architecture seeks to connect the individual to the building, its themes and nature. This was clearly evident in the DT Suzuki museum as well as the Samurai house, the Gyokusenan tea house and Koorogiro Ryokan. It was also evident in the traditional Nadatera Temple, the Kenrokuen Gardens and the Imperial Palace. The range of various food and drinks we took also allowed us to experience both old and new Japan - from classic soba noodles at Buemon to French cuisine at Enuma Station to the matching of food and sake at Noguchi. A truly fascinating and beautiful trip, which I highly recommend.